Beverage servers are well known in the art and many designs have been considered. In the coffee-making art, many types of beverage servers are available and are selected depending on the type of coffee-making equipment used and the environment in which the equipment is located.
One common type of beverage server has a pyrex.RTM. body with an open upper end. A carrying handle is integral with a ring that surrounds the upper end of the body and which tapers outwardly opposite the handle to define a pouring spout. This facilitates pouring of coffee from the body into a receptacle such as a coffee cup when the beverage server is tilted. This type of beverage server is typically used with a hot burner type coffee-making machine and is capable of withstanding the temperature of the coffee-making machine's heating element. Because the beverage server is placed on a heating element, the open upper end of the body is not of concern as the constant heating from the heating element far exceeds any heat loss via the open upper end of the body.
Another type of beverage server is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,959 to Patel issued on Aug. 13, 1992 and assigned to Cafe 98 Industries Limited, the assignee of the present invention. The beverage server disclosed in this patent is insulated and is designed to minimize heat loss so that hot beverages poured into it such as coffee, remain hot for an extended period of time without the need for a heating element. A dispensing outlet is located at the bottom of the beverage server and can be manually actuated to dispense coffee under the influence of gravity. A lid with a conical passage through it, is removably secured to the top of the beverage server. The conical passage allows coffee to flow through the lid and into the beverage server without having to remove the lid. Therefore, this type of beverage server is placed directly below the filter basket of the coffee-making machine so that brewed coffee is poured directly into it. A floatable ball sits in the passage to seal it when no coffee is received in the passage. This minimizes heat loss through the passage. A vent in the form of a space between the lid and the beverage server and an aperture in the lid, allows air to be expressed from the beverage server when coffee enters the beverage server via the passage. This design allows coffee to enter the beverage server without removal of the lid and ensures that air is expressed from the beverage server through the vent and not through the passage to minimize bubbling through the passage which can cause overflow problems as coffee passes through the lid.
Although this type of beverage server works satisfactorily, it is not well suited for some environments and particularly that of the restaurant business since it is designed to remain beneath the filter basket of the cofee-making machine. In the restaurant business, when serving hot beverages such as coffee, it is often necessary to serve many cups of coffee to a number of patrons at different tables. This is typically done by placing coffee in a server such as the first one described above and carrying the beverage server to the tables. When a patron wants a cup of coffee, the waiter/waitress simply pours the coffee into the patron's cup.
Although, beverage servers of the type to be used with hot burner type coffee-making machines are suitable in the restaurant business, it has been found that the taste of the coffee is more preferred when the coffee is not subjected to constant heating via a heating element. Insulated beverage servers which can be carried and allow coffee in them to be poured are available. Unfortunately, brewed coffee cannot be poured directly into beverage servers of this type. Also, the lids typically used with beverage servers of this nature must be manually opened and closed by unscrewing the lid, making them difficult and awkward to use in some environments. Therefore, there is a need for a beverage server which allows a beverage therein to be poured and which provides a passage to allow the beverage to enter the beverage server without requiring removal of the lid.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel beverage server.